Prince of Persia

This was my first time playing a Prince of Persia game, and I had a wonderful adventure with the Prince and Elika. They make a fun, flirtatious, humorous, and sarcastic duo that I really enjoyed, even if it’s a dynamic that’s been done before. Pros: The story unfolds gradually through dialogue between the two characters and the environments you explore. Moments where you interact with Elika and hear more about the history of the world and the characters were a highlight. The art style uses cell-shading, which fits the game perfectly. However, the male lead has a bit more detail than the female lead, which could be intentional to emphasize the adventurer look of the Prince and the softer, more regal look of Elika. The soundtrack is lovely, especially the music that plays while you traverse the environments—it’s definitely the most memorable part of the score. Dialogue and banter between the characters are well-written and entertaining, adding to the charm of the game. Cons: Climbing mechanics can be frustrating at times, as positioning the character correctly is important to avoid accidental jumps off ledges. Thankfully, the game doesn’t let you die, so you’re teleported to your last safe position. Combat might be lackluster for some. It’s not the focus of the game, so don’t expect fast-paced, exhilarating action. There’s still fun to be had, but the adventure and exploration are the main draws. Final Verdict: I had a wonderful time playing Prince of Persia. The story kept me immersed, and exploring the various environments was a joy. While the combat isn’t the star of the show, it works within the context of the game’s design. For me, the climbing and exploration were the most enjoyable aspects. If you’re looking for a game that focuses on adventure, exploration, light-hearted dialogue, and a story set in a desert world with a great evil threatening to be unleashed, I’d definitely recommend this game.

In terms of story and characters, this is probably the series low point. The main plot is painfully generic, and every single time the main characters open their mouths, it's that one-dimensional sarcastic quippy dialogue that just makes me want to reach into the screen and slap the smug off them. However, the platforming - the reason to play PoP in the fist place - is silky smooth and incredibly fun. And wisely, platforming (and exploration) is squarely where this game has its focus. The game world has a branching structure that gives players freedom of choice, and uses collectables to incentivise revisiting areas to find new pathways. Lot of great, great fun. The combat (which actually isn't bad) is de-emphasised compared to previous titles. It has a one-on-one feel that actually seems to call back to the original PoP. It could've done without the QTEs, but like the quippy dialogue, this game is a product of the late 2000s after all.

Another take on the classic Prince of Persia, this time with beautiful cell-shaded visuals, great looking environments and packing what is in my opinion one of the best game soundtracks ever created, made by Inon Zur & Stuart Chatwood. Running, jumping through and exploring the beautifully created environments is quite satisfying as well as purifying each map node, however, if you're completionist, there is a fair amount of backtracking involved since some of the paths are inaccessible until you get the required skill. As other reviews mention, combat is somewhat long-dwindled, even with standard enemies, but there's not too many of them. Unfortunately, Ubisoft being Ubisoft, this game has DLC that is supposed to contain, among other things, the epilogue for the story, but it was sadly never released on the PC because of "business reasons".

I think people are being a bit unfair here. No, it's not the best in the series (I'd say the first one is, followed closely by the second). But I enjoyed it much more than I did the third one. I really really enjoyed the story, which I wasn't expecting at all; I was just expecting some fun acrobatics. The combat is fine. It's not incredibly difficult, and you can't really lose (at least, I didn't see a 'game over' screen when I played it). The art style is incredible and attractive. I think the cel shading works very well. Because of the lack of difficulty, it can be jarring to come into this game with the expectations of something like the first three games, but that doesn't make it a bad game. It's just a different direction. This would be a good game to introduce yourself to the series if you haven't played it before, to get yourself used to the mechanics and combat before jumping back and playing the earlier ones. Give it a (fair) shot.

I gambled and tried this out although i never played this one before. I was a fan of the original Sands of Time and had played it through on the ps2 more than once. This game has some pros and cons concerning it and the bad reviews aren't necessarily wrong about some of their points but are harsh in my opinion. You can't die. But it's not so bad. Instead of reloading your game save and working your way back to where you were, you just get saved by your lady-friend and continue on your way. I thought it was a nice idea for the kind of game this is. It keeps the fun factor and immersion up since you don't have to travel over the same place over and over and over and over if you find a semi difficult part. However, semi difficult is as hard as this game gets. That's another problem but it's not that bad. Although the combat has problems (Sands of Time had a lot more diversity) and platforming puzzles can be repetitive (traveling back and forth can get tiring) the world has enough atmosphere about it so that i get lost in this game regardless. And that's the kind of game this is. It's not one to challenge you exactly, but it's a good-looking game with an interesting-looking world to get lost in. I would say the FEEL of this game brought me back to my first time playing ICO. That feeling of isolation and being in mysterious ruins with a massive sense of scale is something i always enjoy in games. This game really succeeds in that department.